1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decorative article having resin combined integrally with a reverse surface of a decorative sheet (also referred to herein as the second laminate) by insertion molding. The invention also relates to a process for producing such a decorative article.
2. Description of the Related Art
A decorative article is currently used as an automotive inner trim and it is produced by in-mold shaping of a decorative sheet which uses a wood sheet as a decorative component.
The process of producing the conventional decorative article is shown schematically in FIGS. 10A to 11D. First, a wood sheet indicated by 92 in FIG. 10A is provided as a decorative sheet component in a thickness of about 200 to 500 .mu.m. Then, a nonwoven fabric penetrated with a vinyl acetate-base adhesive 93 is heat-pressed to the wood sheet 92.
Then, a reinforcing plate indicated by 94 in FIG. 10B which is made of a polycarbonate resin or a veneer is adhered to the wood sheet 92 with the layer of adhesive 93 being interposed, thereby preparing a decorative sheet 90. Then, the decorative sheet 90 is inserted into a mold and a resin 99 is insert-molded on a back surface of the decorative sheet 90 to prepare an intermediate shape 97 which has the decorative sheet 90 combined integrally with a surface of the substrate of resin 99 as shown in FIG. 11B.
The subsequent steps are shown in FIGS. 11C and 11D. In order to provide the intermediate shape 97 with a smooth appearance that is also improved in such characteristics as transparency and depth, a first clear coat 95 made of a polyester is applied to a surface of the decorative sheet 90 and thereafter polished. The first clear coat 95 is overlaid with a second clear coat 96, which is subsequently polished to produce a decorative article 98.
The thus produced conventional decorative article 98 and the process for producing it have the following problems.
In order to have the desired characteristics in appearance such as smoothness, depth and mass, the conventional decorative articles require that surface polishing and coating operations be performed several times in the process of their production. As a result, the production efficiency is low and the intended cost reduction cannot be realized. On the other hand, if the surface polishing and coating operations are omitted, the characteristics in appearance such as smoothness and depth are compromised to degrade the value of the final product.